Carl Yastrzemski and Bob Robertson Returns

I sent a 1961 Topps in for a Carl Yastrzemski signing via Tom Orr of Atommic Sports.  Yaz's fees are getting quite high, but I really wanted his 1961 Topps signed.  It has the rookie star logo in the upper left, and it just seems like an iconic card from the 60's.  With the high price of the signing, I decided to have J.S.A. authenticate it.  I know some people don't like the stickers, but I feel better about having some proof of authenticity after spending a lot.  I don't intend to sell it, but hopefully it will help if my sons sell it after I'm gone if they decide to.

It's not actually his rookie card though, which is his 1960 Topps.  I got that card signed last March.  Luckily, he hasn't begun charging extra for his rookie card like most players have, although his price went up another $15 per card (to $150!) for his next upcoming signing.

In 2018, I paid $58 to have his 1963 Topps signed, and his fee was $50 per card as recently as 2009.  

I would really like to get his 1964 Topps Stand Up signed, but the card itself is well over $100, probably over $200 for a decent one.  So, $375 by the time you add J.S.A., and pay for shipping both ways.  I'd love to have it, but it's just too much.  Signed copies are pretty hard to come by though, so I probably won't ever get one.

I had a special arrangement with a friend of Bob Robertson who negotiated a signing of 11 cards for me at a price that would be comparable to other player's ttm fees or a mail-in signing for retired players such as him.  I mailed the cards directly to Bob Robertson on January 2 and received them back today.  I enclosed a blue sharpie with my request which he used.

I think these are all of his regular Topps cards except 1968 and 1969.  He shares those cards with another player and those players have passed away, so since I don't collect those sets, I decided to skip them.

Mr. Robertson seems to have become frustrated with dealers and seeing his autographs on eBay but also seems to appreciate real collectors.  He signed for me ttm in early 2020 and then he stopped signing shortly after that, with just a handful of successes since.  I'm not sure if the pandemic had anything to do with that decision or if it is just a coincidence.  His last success posted on SCN was in June of 2021.

I didn't pay a fee at that time, and he was kind enough to sign four cards for me.  They were signed in ballpoint, so I took this opportunity to upgrade those along with some additional cards, mostly for the sets I'm working on.

I'm going to count this special arrangement as a ttm success, which keeps my consecutive return streak on track at nine days (not counting Sundays and Jan. 9th, when the post office was closed for President Carter's funeral.